Report lays out cost of LGBTQ+ safe spaces strategy

Between $170,000 and $410,000 would be required to develop a LGBTQ+ “safe spaces” strategy, a city committee heard Monday.

City staff provided a report to the community and public services committee detailing their recommendations to develop a strategy to reinforce the safety of the LGBTQ+ community, which has reported a rise in hate both in Edmonton and countrywide. The recommendations include the creation of a 2SLGBTQIA+ advisory committee and action plan.

Kristopher Wells, Canada Research Chair for the Public Understanding of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth at MacEwan University, told the committee on Monday that, contrary to popular belief, many members of the LGBTQ+ community live in poverty. Wells said the community needs allies who will work toward shifting the negative perception around LGBTQ+ people.

“Creating a committee like this and an action plan is showing some resistance to those efforts that are quite simply trying to erase the existence of 2SLGBTQ+ people,” Wells said.

Despite administration's report, which said there was “no funding” in the budget for the initiative, the committee passed a motion that would increase the budget for the social development branch by $155,000 on a one-time basis in 2024 from council contingency to fund the LGBTQ+ engagement contract. The contingency fund has $2.1 million to be used over four years.

The $155,000 would include $75,000 to support the engagement plan, which would include creating a “what we heard” report. An additional $80,000 would support one full-time position to lead the initiative. The estimated cost for the advisory committee and action plan is between $170,000 and $410,000.

Administration suggested hiring an external consultant to facilitate community engagement with the working group.

“This approach considers how to create a safe space for participants to share their perspectives and experiences and address any perceived imbalances of power between the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and the city as an institution,” the report said.

The five-phase engagement plan would take between 12 months and 18 months and would result in administration reviewing the “what we heard” report to determine next steps on its findings, including proposing recommendations for the advisory committee, action plan and budget requirements.

Coun. Aaron Paquette was among the councillors who voiced his support for the motion to fund the engagement portion of the plan, citing the importance of supporting vulnerable communities instead of further putting off the issues.

Paquette spoke about the muting of Indigenous history and the impact it had on members of his family who faced physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

“I take great offence to knowing that other members of our community face that same kind of stigma and face that same kind of fear. If we're talking about safety of children, what we really should be doing is, instead of hiding things, instead of demonizing people, we should be casting light and we should be building community,” he said.